


Finding Eve

by pippinandpancakes



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alexandria Safe-Zone, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Badass Daryl, Drug Use, F/M, Fluff, Jealous Daryl, Jealousy, Mental Health Issues, Negan - Freeform, OFC is badass, Obsession, Past Non-Con, Protective Daryl, Rough Sex, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Smut, Swearing, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Zombies, like hella badass, obsessed daryl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 10:31:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6701323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pippinandpancakes/pseuds/pippinandpancakes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There wasn't anything to help us against this new breed of evil. This animalistic, milky eyed, mindless form of damnation. We would just have to live day to day, fight off the flesh eating monsters and try not to kill too many of our own kind along the way. Daryl becomes captivated with the strange girl they had brought back to Alexandria, and her urge to find medication. Daryl/OC</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. We are not alone here

Chapter one

I once believed there was a point in our evolution where we truly stopped moving forwards, a limit that we reached so we could not evolve into anything more than we already were. Many things in life have some sort of wiggle room, some space around the edges where something can grow just a little bit more as and when it needs to and still be comfortable. But everything has its end date and everything has it extinction, the human race should not be able to come back from its extinction event, not from this. There wasn't any wiggle room to help us against this new breed of evil. This cannibalistic, milky eyed, mindless form of damnation. Of all of this I was certain, unswayed and stubborn on the notion that life would never be the same, that would we just have to live day to day, fight off the flesh eating monsters and try not to kill too many of our own kind along the way. Not once did I toy with the concept that tall walls, security and normalcy was out there and obtainable, not until I saw it right in front of me in the form of Alexandria.

The sky shone with the first light of day, sending out streaks of gold along the dirty suburban road. Everything seemed to be dipped in a sort of yellow haze as dawn finally arrived, all that could be heard was the tweeting of birds and the faint noise of reanimated corpses gurgling and loitering outside the settlement walls. Daryl stubbed out his cigarette on the porch floor with the heel of his boot and let out a frustrated grunt at the lack of noise he was hearing around him. He was told to be up at dawn along with the rest of the people going out on the supply run today, but even after chain smoking his last two cigarettes whilst he waited he couldn't hear anyone rising from the house behind him. Usually Rick would have been there with him, waiting for everyone to rise from their slumbers and start getting ready to head out, but after he finally sacked up and made a move on Michonne he'd been sleeping in more. He supposed he couldn't blame him, it was a long time coming and he deserved to have someone close to him after everything he had been through. After everything they had been through. But he was starting to get antsy sitting on his ass smoking for too long, he wanted to get out from behind these walls and take out some of his pent up frustrations. It's not that he didn't want to be in the safe zone, but staying in one place and not fighting all the time made him feel stagnant and he needed to stretch his legs a bit.

"Oh, you're up" He heard from behind him, startling him a bit as he was pulled away from his own thoughts

"Been out here forever man, ready ta get movin'?"

Rick looked a bit out of it when he first walked out but after hearing Daryl mention the supply run he quickly snapped into leader Rick mode, putting his hands on his hips and nodding his head.

"Yeah, already told Abe and Aaron to meet us at the car, they're just packing up some food for the road"

Daryl shook his head and grunted something to himself before shouldering his crossbow and making his way down the porch steps

"Fine, but if he gets 'imself hurt don't think i'll be saving his ass"

He walked up to the car and shoved his bow in the front seat window before leaning up against it just in time to see Abe and Aaron walking towards him with bags slung over each of their shoulders. It wasn't that he didn't like Aaron, quite the opposite actually. He found the man to be kind and sympathetic as well as extremely generous, hell he invited Daryl to eat with him and his partner a few days after he got here, he was a good guy. But good guys weren't often fighters and the last thing he wanted was for Aaron to be the casualty of a simple run gone bad. Abe nodded at him in greeting and smirked around the cigar that was as usual stuffed between his lips

"Ready to go feed the people?" he asked throwing his pack in the back seat much like Daryl had

"Hell ya"

Rick made his way over not long after and got into the driver's seat finally joining the rest of them. His clothes slightly more disheveled than he had been not five minutes prior and a much calmer look was settling on his face.

"Judging by the look of you, you got a little more than a simple goodbye from Michonne if you get my meaning" Abe laughed from the back seat, stretching his arms behind him and smirking at Rick's appearance. He chuckled and rubbed a hand across his stubble, most probably thinking back to what he was doing before he came out to join us

"Okay, you guys ready?" He finally said, ignoring Abraham's comment and looking at all of them for confirmation. The car started with a rumble and they were off towards the gate, nodding at Sasha on watch and then off down the road to their first stop.

"Hardly enough here to feed half of us, but it'll have to do" Rick said looking at the tins strewn out on the floor of the grocery store. Winter was just about coming to a close and they were running out of previsions to keep them going until seeds could be planted in the warmer months. They only had half the car full of different things they had picked up today, half of which being clothes, blankets and other non necessities. They needed to find food fast, Daryl was hoping that they would get lucky this time around and find a large stock of it somewhere. They would just have to keep rations tight until the crops started to grow again.

"Come on, let's get back to the car and get going"

The car was hidden away in the brush of the woodland surrounding the small town, covered by branches and leaves to avoid being spotted by anyone who might have been out there looking for an easy ride. After so long of surviving in this world they learned to be careful with everything that they had and weren't going to take any chances that would get them screwed in some way or another. Daryl led them out of the shop and across the dusty road towards where they had left their vehicle with Rick, Aaron and Abe following closely behind him, the latter insisting on Aaron being in the middle of them, just in case. They walked a small distance under the leafy canopy until came to the familiar clearing only to find something amiss.

"The trunk is open" Aaron stated, walking up to the car, that now had considerably less branches and leaves covering it.

"You've gotta be kidding me" Daryl grunted walking up with him and looking in the boot of the car to see if anything was missing

Most of it was still there but the pack they stuffed the sparse amount of medication they found was open and strewn out across the floor of the boot and on the mossy growth underneath their feet.

"Don't look like much is missing, just some meds" He said, picking up one of the bottles and looking around

"We're not alone here" Rick said promptly putting his hand on the python tucked into his waistband.

With that a crunching noise sounded from above them, to quite to pinpoint. They were all alert in seconds, raising their weapons and looking all about them, trying to find the source of the noise. The tension was evident in the air as they stood in silence, listening out for anything that could indicate where the intruder was hiding.

Thump!

"Ah!"

They all whipped their heads around looking behind them to find a large hunting knife being pressed to Aaron's throat by the assailant.

"Well mother dick" Abraham's voice cut through the air

It was a girl. Breathing hard and sweating while holding her forearm across the young man's chest. Her eyes were wild, shifting between the men and their weapons frantically. She looked panicked, like a feral animal caught in a trap and waiting to be attacked.

"Let 'im go or i'll stomp your ass" Daryl hissed, looking down the length of his crossbow and into her eyes. Her gaze shifted over to him and smirked pressing the knife closer to Aaron's jugular. Everyone's grip on their weapons tightened, aiming steadily at the girls form ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

"Is that all the medicine you have?" She grunted, nodding over to the car that she had already ransacked

They all stared at her, shocked at the soft accent flowing from someone who was obviously very feral in that moment. Rick stepped forward, raising his hands in a submissive fashion as to calm her down. Daryl stared at him confused and annoyed, this bitch had their friend by knife point and he was letting his guard down?

"That's all we have with us, now if you would just let our friend go we can be on our way"

She looked at him and then towards the car desperately. Just as soon as the look in her eyes softened they hardened once again, going back to the manic glint they had previously.

"You're lying" She sneered, staring into Rick's eyes her own twitching as he attempted to move forward "You have more, I know you do"

Aaron was squirming now against the woman's grip, panic stricken over his face as he started to sweat.

"I'm not lying to you, supplies are running low these days"

She chucked then, switching her grip until her knife was being pressed to Aaron's cheek looking down at him sneering

"You don't think I know that. Four guys like you must have robbed loads of camps by now, you seem a lot better off than anyone else I've came across. Either that or you have a nice little community somewhere out there waiting for you"

They all stayed silent, looking her dead in the face and unfaltering, not wanting to give away anything about Alexandria.

"Clothes for women children and men in that car, must be pretty big I'll bet, stocked full of meds that you don't even need"

"We need everything we've got, I'm sorry" Rick said in a calm voice, trying to reason with the women

Aaron was completely fear stricken at this point, looking around frantically at his friends, pleading with them to say something to help him out of the girl's grip. Minutes seemed to pass by until suddenly a voice sounded out between them, cutting the staring contest short

"We have a settlement!" Aaron yelled out

Rick's head dipped to the floor in disappointment as Aaron started rambling about giving her meds if she left them alone.

"It's not that far from here, you can take what you need and leave"

Daryl started pacing then but before he could give everyone a piece of his mind, the tale tell sound of gurgling was heard all about them. Their heads whipped up and the girl released Aaron in shock. They were surrounded.


	2. You heard the man

Chapter two

"Shit"

Through the trees she could just about see the amount of undead that had surrounded them, at least 25 of them were just about to be on top of the small group and they were clearly outnumbered. It was good that she had bumped into these people, if you could call threatening bumping into but hey she didn't really have much of a choice nowadays. If she was on her own she would have been screwed, she could maybe take on ten by herself but any more than that and she would have become a nice little snack for the bastards. Her green eyes darted around scanning the area to see where the others were stationed, covering each others backs seemed to be the little groups plan of action. Smart, at least they wouldn't slow her down.

With a flick of the wrist she pulled the machete off of her back and stepped towards the incoming dead readying her attack before she pounced sliding her sharp blade down into mushy brains and flesh. Her technique was almost that of a dancer, dodging attacks and grabby hands then sliding her knife to the hilt into their soft skulls. The others seemed to jump to life in that moment, starting to help her make a dent in the swarm. They were slowly becoming overwhelmed, the horde seeming to favor going for the four men instead of her, the one she had held hostage before had three on him at once and she could see him faltering. She could have just jumped in the car at the first sign of trouble, she knew how to hot wire and they had enough in there to last a little while. So why didn't she? Maybe after all this time she did have a shred of humanity left. Her eyes darted to the young man again after yanking her blade from a lurkers eye and she grunted. Damn her humanity.

She darted across the clearing towards him, dodging the mouths of the dead and kicking several of them to the ground. Just as she reached him he was holding back one of them whilst the others advanced on him, seconds away from tasting his flesh. Her blade nearly touched his nose from how far she shoved it into the face of the fat guy that was on him and his eyes went wide. Quickly she dispatched the other two that were advancing and focused on the rest of the men. They were all becoming over powered, they had to move and fast.

"To the car, quick!" She yelled over to the men, whilst grabbing the hand of the one she just saved and pulling him along towards the car. Slashing her machete through the skulls of anything that got in her way she quickly brought them closer and closer to safety. When they got there the other men we already climbing into the car, she let go of the man's hand and turned towards the advancing mob. Taking her stance she sneered at the half ripped off face of the lurker stumbling towards her with the sound of her heart beating loudly in her ears. Undead gurgling, Blood pumping, heavy breathing and the sound of a car door clicking open.

"Come and get me you ugly son of a-"

A strong hand wrapped around her bicep and pulled her downwards, her butt hitting the soft seat of the car. Before she had time to register what was happening the car was speeding out of there, the dead getting smaller and smaller as they put distance between them.

"Are you crazy? You couldn't have taken them on by yourself, you would have been killed!" The brown haired man yelled from the front seat of the car, looking behind at her panting. She was squeezed between the door and the huge ginger haired man, who she guessed was the one that pulled her into the car.

"Can you hear me, you could have died!"

The man was clearly frustrated by her lack of care when it came to her own safety, it was confusing to say the least.

"I try to steal from you, hold a knife up to one of your friends throat and you are concerned for my safety?" she chuckled "I don't think I'm the crazy one here"

"I agree with the chick, I say we throw her t'the curb" The man in the passenger seat sneers

She could tell he's pissed that she was there with them after what she had did and she couldn't blame him. If a random person had jumped out of a tree and did what she had to someone she cared about, let's just say she would had an interesting new piece of jewelry wrapped around her neck in the shape of their lower intestine.

"You heard the man" She said, looking out the window at the scenery going past. If she got out soon she could camp up in a tree tonight then in the morning try and find some place to hold up until it got a bit warmer out.

It was quiet for a while, the man in the front was obviously considering what to do with her. She really hoped they wouldn't try anything before they dropped her off, she really didn't want to add any more names to the list of people she had killed. She was trying to keep it below ten and if she carried on the way she was going that wouldn't be possible.

"You saved me, why?"

She turned her head towards the source of the question and found the young man looking at her with a quizzical expression on his face.

She paused for a while, thinking about why she had bothered helping him. Was it because she believed she needed to hold on to her humanity? No, that had gone a long time ago and good riddance to it. Was it because couldn't live with herself if she didn't? She had done a lot of killing at this point and although it wasn't like she was nightmare and PTSD free she was still alive and kicking, so it wasn't that.

"Because you needed saving" It was a simple answer, but a true one. There was no use going into philosophical answers about why she felt compelled to save the man, she simply did it because she didn't want to let something happen to another person when it was in her power to help them.

The atmosphere in the car changed after her answer was out in the air, it seemed a lot more calm and a lot less like someone was going to start throwing punches. She sighed and looked towards the man at the front, who she found was now staring at her in the rear view mirror. When their eyes locked she held his gaze for a second before he looked out towards the road with a contemplating look.

"How many walkers have you killed?" He asked his eyes still on the road

"Christ.."

"Daryl, I've gotta" Her face screwed up in confusion as she pondered what he was asking her, this was a little strange for just idle chit chat.

"Why?"

"Just answer the damn question" The man whose name was apparently Daryl sneered from the passenger seat. It wasn't like she kept a tally, anyone living in this world would have killed hundreds, maybe thousands by now and if they hadn't they were probably hauled up in a bunker somewhere eating dehydrated food and drinking their own piss water.

"Hundreds, I dunno I don't keep count anymore"

He nodded his head, seeming to have expected that answer from her in the first pace, he looked back at her again.

"How many people have you killed?"

Now that one was a little bit more tricky, although unlike the last question she knew the answer, but it wasn't something she wanted to divulge to a group of strangers.

"Seven" Lie. "I've killed seven people" She could guess the next question before he even said it and shook her head.

"Why? Three were because I was practically begged to, people always think that they can sack up and bite the bullet when the time comes but more often than not they can't. Once the fever takes over it's not like you can do much anyway, let alone lift a gun"

"And the others?" he asked curiously

"Being a young women in this kind of world isn't exactly forgiving, some men will go to great lengths to get their dicks wet, I did what I had to" They all seemed to simultaneously cringe at her crude wording and she chuckled darkly.

"It's the way the world is, you either adapt or it eats you alive" the large man from beside her nodded his head and looked towards her smiling in agreement

"You really are something aren't ya? What's your name?"

She paused for a second, not really wanting to tell these strangers her name. From the look of the men's faces and the seemingly routine questioning she guessed she was being taken back to their settlement with them, which meant food and more importantly medicine. Something she really couldn't afford to pass up.

"Eve" she whispered the name sounding foreign on her tongue "My names Eve"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter! Upon realizing that the chapters may be a bit on the short side I decided to post my pre-written parts up fairly quickly, so everyone can get a better gauge on where the story is going. So now we have a name! Eve is a little bit on the rough side but dont worry she will soften up a little bit in the up coming chapters, and you will get to see more of her interactions with the group. The thing with the medication isnt just a throw away reason to get her into Alexandria btw, it will tie in later in the story! Please review to let me know what you think and where I can improve, always looking for constructive criticism


	3. I like knives

Chapter Three  
The ride was pretty silent after the interaction with the odd woman mostly due to no one really knowing what to say in the situation. Daryl would have kept his mouth shut either way, he wasn't happy with what was going down, not in the slightest. This girl had practically fallen from the sky and threatened them, threatened his family, and now they were just going to take her back to Alexandria? Scoffing he looked out the window, she would probably slit everyone's throats in their sleep and make off with half of their medical supplies. He would have to keep an eye on her, make sure she wasn't planning anything stupid, and when he finds out she is he can kick her to the curb like they should have if the first place. He glanced at the wing mirror to see what her face was reading. She looked utterly indifferent to everything that was happening, so reserved and withdrawn. Not like they had looked when they were out in the wild at all, his group were something more close to feral. Her hair was all pulled back into a beanie hat, so that only one piece fell down on her face. It made her look strange, like some kind of old timey robber, all she would need now was a black and white jumper instead of a leather jacket. He didn't change his sights when her cool gaze met his, just narrowed his eyes when she raised a dark eyebrow at him. 

“Okay, we’re here” Rick said pulling up to the gates and waiting for Eugene to open them. As soon as they got inside Rick stopped the engine and stepped out of the car, going to walk around to where ‘Eve’ was sat. Daryl got out his side and stood next to the former cop settling his eyes on her once more. Once she joined them outside he got a much better look at her. She was dirty, like very dirty, more dirty than he was most of the time and that was saying something. Her face and clothes were stained with walker guts and dirt, her thick leather jacket worn in well and tinged red with dried blood. 

“I'm going to need you to hand over all your weapons” Her eyes narrowed at Rick's request  
“How do I know you're not going to change your minds and kill me?” She asked jaw clenched   
“You can keep one knife on you, just incase, the rest of your weapons will go in the armory until we can trust you. We’re not going to kill you, but we can't have you walking around our people armed to the teeth”   
Sighing she reached into her waistband, drawing out two large hunting knifes and passed them to Rick. He raised an eyebrow as she stopped and shrugged at him   
“Look, I don't have all day”   
Rolling her eyes she drew out the rest of her weapons, including two guns, several more large knives as well as a shiney set of throwing knives and a large machete that still needed to be cleaned from earlier.

She wiped the blade on her camo clad leg before passing it over. Daryl raised an eyebrow at the amount of knives she kept on her person and she shrugged smirking up at him seemingly reading his mind.  
“I like knives”   
He grunted and took in her almost crazed looking smile before turning on his heel and letting Rick and Abe deal with the strange girl. He had enough of her crazed smile and dead eyes for one day, he had to tell the rest of the group about her before she was introduced.

He walked up to the shared house as Carol was stepping out of the door.  
“How did the run go?” She asked smiling at him. He went to take a cigarette out of his pocket only to remember he had chain smoked the last of his pack that morning. Carol dug into her back pocket to reveal a pack of her own and passed one to him   
“When did you start smoking?”   
“When did you start avoiding questions?”   
He smirked at her and lit the cancer stick, leaning his body against the porch railing.   
“Got ambushed by this chick, held Aaron by knife point, Rick brought her back here”   
She looked at him confused and then shifted her eyes to where Rick was standing by the gate with whom she guessed was the girl   
“Why did he do that for?” She asked   
“Girl helped us when we got overrun, dead was everywhere. She saved ‘im”   
“Rick?”   
“No, Aaron”   
She nodded her head slowly, understanding what went down and then shrugged her shoulders.   
“One woman can't take all of us, she's probably harmless, but we might want to keep an eye out just in case it blows up in Rick's face”   
He liked that carol was always so cautious nowadays, it balanced out some of Ricks and his more reckless tendencies nicely.   
“Already got that, was going to be her shadow for a while, make sure she's not planning anything.” He stubbed out his cigarette and adjusted his crossbow on his back “thanks for the smoke”. 

He walked back inside and settled on the sofa, cleaning his crossbow of all the blood and gore from before. He needed time to think about what his plan of action would be, he needed to talk to her, to gauge what she was really like. He was never that good at first judgements but he could tell when someone was bad news. She wasn't giving off a vibe like that but she still put his teeth on edge and raised his hackles a bit. He placed his crossbow on the table and stood up from his seat to see where Rick had gotten to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short, the next one will be longer!


	4. You should leave

Chapter four

She walked down one of the many streets of the Alexandria safe zone looking at the well kept gardens and pondering her and Rick’s conversation earlier that day. She decided that he must have been a good man before all of this, he was probably still a good man now, just a good man who has had to do many bad things to protect those he loves. She respected that and almost as soon as their brief conversation had ended she also decided that she respected him. He was a very simple man by her standards, he still had the serve and protect mentality of a cop but it was directed now towards his family. He had told her about them, not at great length, but enough for her to understand that these people were not to be messed with. He had told her outright that he didn't trust her yet, but he would give her a chance to earn his trust. She had scoffed at this at first only to change her expression and feelings after seeing the seriousness and authority in his eyes. She would have to make relationships here, get to know the people and have them gauge if she was to stay. It seemed like a hard task no doubt, but in order to have some sort of stability in this world she would have to make it work. 

And then was the matter of medication. She didn't tell Rick outright about her condition and why she needed meds in the first place. She feared she would be thrown out on her ass if she did and then she would be that much farther away from what she felt she so desperately needed. He eye twitched as she thought about going any longer without medication, she felt as if she was losing herself in this world. Even more so than when she would flat out refuse to take her meds when she was going through her rebellious phase in her teens. But let's face it, that phase never truly ran its course. She has always been a bit of a trouble maker, prescriptions aside. 

Her teenage years were filled with parties and drugs, staying out with her friends until sun rise and scaring the shit out of her parents. She was what her friends and confidants would call a free spirit and what her parents and their PTA club buddies would call a troublemaker. Always moving as if it was the wind itself that was pushing her along, now it was more like she was dragging her feet just to get through the day. 

Her boots fell heavily on the pavement as she rounded the corner, coming closer and closer to the house were Rick's group would be meeting for dinner in a few hours. She was told that she could get washed up before hand and she readily accepted the offer but first decided to take a look around and find her bearings. No one was inside when she walked into the house so she decided to make her way upstairs and find the nearest bathroom. After spending a small while looking for one in the large house she came to a room with a wash basin fixed to the wall. 

She swung her rucksack off her shoulder and through it to the floor before closing and locking the door. Undressing she caught herself taking in her reflection in the mirror. Before the turn she was what would be considered plus size, always with meat on her bones, a rounded out stomach and hips. She thanked the gods for this as her prior pudge had served her well in the harsh winter months out on her own. Now her body looked a lot less rounded and while she still held a decent amount of weight in her breasts and hips, her bones stuck out from behind her skin and her arms and stomach were toned and thin. 

She chucked to herself. Before all of this she would have only dreamed of having a body like this, but now it was a reality it just looked wrong and she found herself dearly missing her chubby belly and large thighs. Shaking her head she took off her restricting beanie hat, something she often wore to hide her femininity and detract any unwanted gaze. Dropping it to the floor she let her long, fiery red hair fall over her shoulders and her now too long bangs fall in her face. Running her fingers through her fringe she looked around for some scissors. After finding a seemingly sharp enough pair she started snipping away at the offending hairs until her bangs hung at only two inches long. She was already starting to feel like herself again. Lifting up the sides of her hair she found her former undercut had grown a substantial amount and grabbed the razor from the counter. If she was going up do this she would do it right.

An hour later and the water finally running clear she stepped out of the shower. Her skin was rosy pink from the hot water (hot water!) and both sides of her head were shaved down to the skin. Drying her body and hair she dug around in her bag for the only semi clean clothes she had left on her. She shook her head at the items before slipping them onto her body. In another life she would always wear things like this if she grew tired of her normal leather and band shirt combos. The brown patterned skirt flowed down by her ankles and her baggy tank top hung loosely on her slender frame, the sleeveless item showing off the ink that littered her skin. She thought she would have more time to complete the artwork that adorned her skin, it was a strange thing to dwell on, but she missed the burn of the needle leaving ink in its wake. 

Her arms were partly covered by depictions of ships and cascading waters along with etchings of runes and other Nordic symbols. She always had a love of all things Viking, a fascination that took deep seated roots from a young age. They always seemed to be so full of valour and strength, something that she strived to emulate in her life. Now it seemed she related to the plundering and ruthless fighting the most. It was sad to see just how much everything had fallen in the last few years. 

Gathering her composure and pinching her cheeks to get some life back into her pale freckled skin she opened the door and made her way down the stairs. At this point she could hear voices downstairs and smell the waft of starchy food being cooked from the kitchen. It had been so long that she had anything that wasn't canned or reluctantly skinned from a rabbit. As she reached the last step the voices seemed to quite down to almost nothing and she took in the many figures littered around the large room.

“Well you scrub up nicely” Rick said from his position on the sofa  
She rubbed the back of her head, a habit she had picked up when ever she was feeling out of her comfort zone.   
“Apparently the end of the world has more than I thought” she mumbled   
Rick then stood from his seat and made his way over as everyone's face turned towards her expectantly   
“Everyone this is Eve” he said “she's going to be staying with us, if all goes well”   
She raised her hand in a small salute before taking a seat on the floor next to Aaron. He nodded at her and smiled briefly passing a bowl of food her way. She mumbled a thanks and took a spoonful of what looked like stew up to her lips. Eve hadn't realised how hungry she was until now and promptly started shovelling her face with the hot tasty food.   
“So Eve” a voice sounded out pulling her away from her gluttony “where are you from?”  
She looked up to the source of the question and found that it came from a pretty brown haired women settled in the arms of a young asian man.   
Swallowing her mouthful and wiping her lips with the back of her hand she settled the bowl down to the floor   
“Originally Ierland, but my parents moved to massachusetts when I was ten”   
“That just have been a pretty big culture shock” the Asian man stated looking interested in the conversation   
“Yeah.. I mean no offence but I hated it here at first. The heat and noise was unbearable”   
They both laughed at this, seeming to ease up a bit  
“I know what you mean” the women answered “I grew up on a farm my whole life, when I took trips into the city it was like a whole different world”   
Maggie, whose name she quickly found out, was very kind as was her husband Glenn. After a short amount of time the tense atmosphere in the room seemed to melt away as they all started to ask her random questions about herself. She knew they were feeling her out and getting an idea about what kind of person she was but she didn't mind, she would be doing the same if she was in their position. Once food was finished Eve was beginning to feel a little suffocated with so many people around so she excused herself to take a seat outside. 

Her hands reached into her bag and drew out a very squished half empty box of cigarettes and a lighter. Quickly lighting one she inhaled deeply, savouring the feeling of burning on her tongue.   
“Mind if I bum one?” A gruff voice sounded from behind her making her jump slightly   
She turned her head and saw one of the men who had brought her back to Alexandria. Daryl? She thought that was his name. He was stood leaning against the railing of the porch, his eyes squinting down at her.   
She silently reached back into her backpack and threw it over to him. He caught it swiftly and made his way over to her, sitting on the other side of the steps. Eve watched as he drew out his own lighter attempting to light the cigarette, after a failed third attempt she passed him her own. Daryl looked at the lighter in his hand a scoffed and the cruelly drawn smiley face that adorned it and lit the end of his cancer stick. He looked over at her, exhaling the smoke from his lungs before opening his mouth to speak   
“You should leave” 

Daryl was a little taken aback by how forward he was with his statement and he could see by the look on her face that she was too.   
“Little bit rude for someone who just got given a free smoke” she said looking forward again, a blank expression settling back on her face. He was going to try to tackle this strategically but when he saw her sitting there his mind seemed to go blank. The girl looked so much different than she had earlier that day, hair shoved under a beanie and covered almost head to toe in blood and dirt. Her long red hair cascaded down her back and the moon lit up her features brilliantly, she looked hard but soft at the same time and he didn't like how on edge that made him feel.   
“If you just want meds and some food you got it, then you can be on your way and leave us be” he stuck to his guns and decided to go for the harsh approach.  
She took a long drag of smoke and turned towards him once more, her brow furrowed and a strange look passed across her face.   
“I wouldn't take you for the type that would be protective over people”   
Slightly offended by her statement he sneered at her   
“What tha hells that suppose ta mean?” She shrugged  
“You have the whole lone wolf vibe going on, but you really care about them don't you? You and Rick?” He blinked at her. She wasn't wrong, dispute appearances he cared fiercely for his family and he would do anything to protect them. From walkers or otherwise.   
“What of it?” He grunted throwing his now burnt out cigarette but to the floor in front of them. She looked like she was pondering what to say next before she sighed and stood up from her place on the steps, letting her skirt flow out behind her in the slight breeze.   
“Nothing, it's a good thing. There's not enough of that these days. I'm not going to hurt your people, God knows I've done enough of that for a lifetime. You can keep tabs on me and watch me all you want but despite what happened in the woods I don't want to see your people hurt. I don't know why, I just don't. So don't worry about it” with that she turned on her heel and made her way inside, no doubt to find out where she would be sleeping tonight. He shook his head and stood up as well finally going inside to eat what was probably now a very cold supper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Finally some proper interaction between Eve & Daryl! There will be more in the next chapters :) after I post my pre written chapters they will get longer I promise.


	5. Santeria

Chapter five

The next week came and went without much going on. The girl seemed to bond well with Maggie, Glenn and Abraham, frequently talking to them about her life before moving to the states and sharing stories about her crazy teenaged years. Daryl kept close tabs on her after their conversation, just like she said he would, but nothing seemed too worrying about her day to day actions. The one thing he did notice though was her frequent twitches and ticks when she was alone and he was more than curious to find out why it was she did that. She took up talking with Carl about music and comic books as well as practicing hand to hand combat with Michonne a few times in the mornings before anyone else other than Rick had rose from their slumber. 

He was watching her, biding his time until she slipped up and showed some sign of plotting against them or stealing supplies. What he wasn't about to admit to himself was the slight rush he got from watching her from day to day. Every time she would walk off on her own he would follow close behind her to make sure she wasn't up to anything. The truth was he found her utterly fascinating. Everything she did seemed to be cloaked in mystery. He would hear her talking about her interests and a few seemingly drug fueled stories here and there but she never once mentioned anything about her life right before the turn outside of partying with her friends. Only a specific time frame from when she was a teen. He convinced himself that he felt like she was hiding something but really he just wanted to know more about her. There was something about the way she would talk that made you feel like she knew more about you than you did and that both set him on edge and fascinated him. It came to a point where he actually considered talking to her again to try to figure her out but he never seemed to have a good excuse except for the feeling of mistrust he still held for her. 

The next time he actually got talked to her was almost a week after she had first arrived. It was just coming up to evening time, Daryl himself just coming back from a hunt, and she was milling around in the kitchen looking for something. She was bent over with her head shoved into one of the cupboards, moving things around.   
“If you're tryin’a steal somethin you might wanna make less noise” he sounded from the doorway causing her to quickly stand up and whip her body around to face him. She coughed uncomfortably before locking eyes with him   
“Was actually looking for something to drink”   
He scoffed and pointed at the tap next to her   
“Waters right there”   
She turned back around and reached her arm back into the cupboard drawing out a bottle of amber looking liquid   
“Was actually thinking about something a little stronger than water” she mumbled bringing the bottle over to the counter and pulling out two glasses   
“Drink?” She asked. He looked at her disapproving, seemingly understanding his reservations she started to pour out a generous amount in each glass.   
“Don't worry, it's not Rick's. I hid it away, there's only so much you can fit in a backpack Yanno?”  
He walked forward slowly, and took the glass from off the table, all the while she stared at him expectantly. He picked it up and stared at the amber liquid, it had been a long time since he had had a drink, especially what looked like a decent scotch.  
.  
“Yanno, if you're not a whiskey man I’m pretty sure Denise has some Bacardi breezers hidden away in the pantry.” She raised her eyebrow smirking at him and took her own glass to her lips, savouring the taste on her tongue. He could tell that she was used to hard liquor, the way she swallowed a gulp with complete ease, as if she had done it thousands of times before. He scoffed at her and took a sip of his own, feeling the smoothness run over his tongue and burn his throat.  
“I don't drink that shit” He grunted, referring to her jest at his drinking choices  
He picked up the bottle and inspected the label, Jamesons. He had never heard of that brand before, not that he had ever drunk more than cheap as shit whiskey in his day. This was a perfectly blended scotch, it made him wonder if she had money for this class of drink back before the turn. He then saw her down the rest and fill her glass back up again, walking over to the stereo that was tucked away to the side of the room. Even though they had power from the solar panels on site, he hadn't bothered to use anything that required it yet. Daryl never was much of a technology person, he prefered being outdoors in the wild rather than in the noise of his home or the big city. She picked up the ipod that was laying next to it and plugged it in. He briefly remembered Amy mentioning missing hers when they were all at the quarry, but that seemed like a life ago now, just like most things did.

He took another sip of his drink and filled it up again, making his way over to sit on the couch near where she was standing.  
“Whatcha’ doin’?” He asked her as she fiddled about with the stereo, plugging in the device.  
“I don’t know why I kept it on me this whole time” She said referring to the ipod “It’s not like I’ve been anywhere that's had power. But it felt wrong to throw it away yanno? Music was my life before this”  
“I thought your life was partyin’ and drinkin’” He mumbled under his breath  
“So you have been eavesdropping on me then?” She chuckled turning on her heel, stumbling slightly from the alcohol in her system. He was feeling pretty lit too, it had been so long since he had a drink that two glasses of whiskey seemed to make him feel all fuzzy and warm. He didn't answer her, instead looking down at his glass and taking another sip. Suddenly the sounds of slow acoustic guitar filled the air as she made her way over to the couch, swaying her hips and closing her eyes. He took in the sight before him, her body moving so slowly in time with the ska sounds that came from the speakers. Even though her moves weren't entirely sensual, the way she looked when she closed her eyes and took in the music was so beautiful. Her deep red hair cascading over her shoulders and swaying around with her every move. The shorts she was wearing clung flatteringly to her hips and her lips were stained with what looked like red lipstick that she must have found in one of the houses. His eyes wouldn't dare leave her form as he sat there sipping his drink and watching her. The music flowed through the room as he listened to the lyrics and she started to quietly sing along.

“I don't practice Santeria  
I ain't got no crystal ball  
Well, I had a million dollars but I, I'd spend it all.  
If I could find that Heina, and that Sancho that she's found.  
Well, I'd pop a cap in Sancho and I'd slap her down.

What I really wanna know, mah baby, mmmm...  
What I really wanna say I can't define.  
Well, it's love, that I need. Oh...

My soul will have to wait till I get back, to find a Heina of my own.  
Daddy's gonna love one and all.  
I feel the break, feel the break, feel the break and I gotta live it up.  
Oh, yeah, uh huh.  
Well, I swear that I.

What I really wanna know, ah baby.  
What I really wanna say I can't define, got love make it go.  
My soul will have to…”

As the instrumental kicked in she opened her eyes and scratched the back of her neck, walking over to the sofa and plonking herself down next to him. She filled up her drink one last time and looked over at him, his eyes still boring into her and taking in the atmosphere around him.   
“Sorry, it’s just been so long since I’ve heard that song” She laid her head back and closed her eyes once more, showing Daryl the full expanse of her pale neck.  
“Me and my friends, we used to have this playlist on repeat any time we went out causing trouble together. We would sit up on this huge hill overlooking the City laughing and joking and drinking. We were so loud all of the time, It was a wonder that more people didn't complain about it. But whenever this song would come on we would all just sit and listen, watching the skyline”   
“Its nice” he said, finally dragging his eyes away from her and towards his hands on his lap. She looked over at him and smiled, a small sigh escaping her lips. He felt at odds of what to say next, wanting to hear more stories about her. He could sit there and listen to her all night and not utter a single word.   
“You miss it?” He finally said, looking back up at her  
“Of course I do, everything about being up there with them I miss so much. Except when I had to go home. My friends, they all shared a shitty little apartment on the other side of town. I would spend so much time there it was like I was living there too”   
“Why didn't you?” He asked, feeling slightly more confident in himself as she spilled what seemed like to him very precious memories  
“My parents, they would never let me move out, let alone to live with my friends. Even when I grew up they could never cut the apron strings.” He felt as if there was more to the story, a reason why her parents were the way they were, but he didn't dare push it. She had already told him so much.

They sat in silence until it was pitch black outside, the orange glow that had previously filled the room was now gone and was replaced by the cold artificial light of the bulb above them. He let the small buzz of the alcohol take over his senses as he imagined being there with her friends, laughing and joking and drinking. He thought about if he would have fit in with her little group of comrades had he not been so much older than she was. If she would have wanted to sit there with him and listen to the song she had so many times with her friends, if he had been the one she ran to to escape the clutches of her overbearing family and if she would have been the one to take him away from his. Once people had started to fill the room, eager to get dinner started he found that she had slid away whilst he was stuck in his thoughts without him even noticing she had left.


	6. Chapter 6, Magic

**Warning: Light drug use**   


Chapter Six 

3 years ago

_Her eyes opened slowly, blinking away the sleep that had clouded her eyes whilst she slept. The sound of yelling could be heard from downstairs, the thin walls doing nothing to mask the heated argument that was taking place in the room just below hers. Her parents were at it, no doubt about her again. She hated waking up this way, it always made her feel anxious and her skin would crawl hearing the words they would use to describe her._

_Eve shook her head and sat up, swinging her legs over the the side of the bed and placing her bare feet on the ground. The threadbare curtains did nothing to shield her sensitive eyes from the blinding light of the late afternoon sun. She rose to her feet as soon as she heard something hit her window. Walking over she smiled broadly as she saw the light brown mop of her best friends head. Her hands pushed the window upwards and a gust of warm air rushed past her face, running through her hair and waking her up instantly._

_"Eve, get the hell down here, Lily scored us some booze and we're gunna go check out that hill up past the woods" he half whispered up to her_

_"Okay, give me a few minutes, I've got to try and sneak past my parents, they're having a domestic" he rolled his eyes at her statement as she drew her head back inside and closed the window._

_She quickly went through the clothes on the floor, slipping on a long skirt and plaid shirt before looking in the mirror and throwing on some red lipstick. Half satisfied with the way she looked she quickly moved to her bedside table. Hooking her fingers under the bottom of the draw she ripped off the tape that was stuck there, she felt the weight of the small baggie falling into her hand. She smirked and shoved it into her bra with one hand whilst popping two of her daily pills into her mouth with the other. Eve pressed her hand on the door, opening it slowly, careful not to make any noise. It was much easier when her mother and father were acting this way to get out as quickly and quietly as possible. She didn't want a repeat of last time, being locked in her room all day by her parents was the last thing she wanted. She was nineteen and her father still thought that she should obey his every insane command. She was treated like dirt in this house. Like a damn freak show._ _Her feet fell gently on the carpet as she made her way stealthy down the stairs, smiling smugly when she reached the bottom. Her hand just reached the handle of the front door when the arguing ceased for a moment, her parents walking out from the living room._

_"Where the hell do you think your going?" The large man asked sternly, placing his meaty hands on his hips in an authoritative fashion. Eve whipped around shrugging at him and pushing her sunglasses onto her face. She couldn't have him see her rolling her eyes, it wasn't a very smart move pissing off her father. Eve wouldn't be able to stomach having to show her face to her friends after he'd given her another shiner. They were the only ones in the whole town that would believe her when she said it was her dad that had caused it. After all Mr Williams was known around here as a very respected man, being a psychologist he had to keep up certain appearances._

_"Out" she finally said He scoffed "Out there? Dressed like that? You really think I would allow you to go out dressed like a drug dealing hippie slut?"_ _Her mother put her hand on his arm then, trying to get him to calm down and take a calmer approach_

_"What your father means to say dear is what do you think the neighbors would say? They already think you're… odd"_

_Eve stared blankly at her mother for a second before turning around and opening the door, slamming it shut behind her. She rounded the corner and found the smiling face of her best friend Sam, his body leaning against the corner of the small white house. His smile dropped when he heard shouting coming from inside, Eve she shook her head, not wanting to go into it right now. He let it slide and they started walking off down the street._

_"Why don't you just leave?" He finally said as they were halfway to their friends meeting spot. The sun was beating down harshly now, Eve thankful that she decided to wrap her plaid around her waist, now basically only clad in her bralette from the waist up._

_"You know I can't man, remember what happened last time." He sighed and_ _looked to the floor. He wished their was more he could do for his friend. Even if she didn't know, he cared for her a lot, the need to make her happy was so strong he would do anything to make her smile. He loved her smile._

_"I know" he said looking up at her, her hair whipping around in the warm georgia breeze She smirked suddenly then, walking slightly ahead of him and reaching her hand into her cleavage. He wondered what she was doing for a second, before she pulled her hand out to reveal a small bag of weed. He started to laugh and shook his head_

_"How the hell did you sneak it past them?" He asked. She smirked her trademark smirk and leaned in to whisper in his ear._

_"Magic" As soon as she had uttered the word she took off down the street, skirt bellowing behind her._

_They ran together for a while, the wind blowing their hair all about them and making their eyes water. After about ten minutes they reached their new meeting spot. The hill was beautiful, covered by lush green grass and surrounded by thick woodland. The sun would set just in front of them, behind the skyline, basking the cold concrete buildings in a deep orange glow. Eve ran forward, trying to stay out of Sam's grasp as he tried to catch her, so busy giggling and darting about that she didn't see the large boot clad leg that was spread out in her path. Eve's face hit the floor and she rolled over, looking upwards at the sky. A face suddenly blocked her view, cigarette in mouth and bright blue hair falling downwards._

_"Watch where you're going, dipshit" she snickered, taking a drag from her cancer stick and blowing the smoke into Eve's face. She smirked as she held a hand out to help the younger girl up. Once they were both sat down on the grass Eve plucked the smoke from her friends mouth and inhaled a long slow drag._

_"Common Evie, you can't steal my shit, I earned that after spending all day trying to score some booze for you sad acts" The blue haired girl asked, raising her eyebrow at Eve as she led there smoking her friends cigarette._

_"Don't worry Lil, I've got all of us covered for today" She then nodded at Sam who had now sat down next to her and he reached into his pocket to pull out the little baggie. Lily's eyes went wide as she snatched it from her friends hand, going to pull rizla out of the patched bag she always had strapped to her back. Lily was the one who got her little group of friends into things like this, with Eve glued to her side most of the time. They were both the troublemakers in their group, the rest of the guys just going along for the ride and doing whatever Lily dragged them into that day. Eve almost always followed Lily's lead, her friends fierce attitude was something she admired and had lacked when she was in school, always to afraid to do anything remotely rebellious in fear of showing up her well respected parents. That had all turned around when she met her friends, dropped out and decided she wanted to do something more with her life than sit in a stuffy classroom all day. She had become a lot more like Lily over the years, just minus the crazy attitude. Eve was usually considered the more chilled out, free spirited one of the group. More laid back than her boisterous, punk rock counterpart. That was if she hadn't decided to stop taking her medication like she had a few times in the past._

_Then she someone that even Lily couldn't catch up with, someone she hated being. Almost as soon as Lily had rolled a joint for them all to share Eve spotted Johnny and Rachel trudging out from behind the trees, Johnny's eyes lighting up as he saw the spliff in Sam's hand. He snuck up quickly behind them all, pressing a finger to his_ _lips silently telling Eve stay quiet, and pinched the joint right out from between his friends fingers._

_"Sorry bro, you snooze ya loose" He chuckled, ruffling Sam's hair and walking out in front of them, he then preceded to take one of the cans that were perched at Lilys feet and open it, draining the warm liquid into his open mouth. Rachel stepped over, going to sit on Lily's lap, smiling sweetly while she pinched one of her beers as well._

_"You bring your old speakers man?" Sam asked his friend, nodding his head at the blondes bag._

_"Na, I had to steal my brothers instead, mine are shot to shit" He then brought out two crappy looking speakers and a wire, plugging in his old iPod and scrolling through the music they had all at one point or another downloaded onto it. Loud music filled the air as they all started to laugh and joke together, the sun beating down on their faces. Eve led her head back once more, joint pressed between her lips and enjoying the sounds of her friends chatting away around her. She sensed someone else moving next to her and looked to the side, Sam had led back as well and was looking up at the clear sky above them. He took her hand in his, turning to face her as she closed her eyes with a smile. As Long as her friends were with her, everything would turn out okay, she just knew it. Right now laying on the lush grass as the sun began to set, her best friend lying beside her, there was no where she would rather be._

Present day 

Eve looked down at the necklace wrapped around her neck, the one that Lily gave her before she left and she smiled as she thought of her friends. Since her and Daryl's chat the other day she couldn't stop thinking about the gang. It wasn't like she hadn't thought about them in the last two years since the outbreak, she had just pushed them to the back of her mind when she knew there was no way she would find them again. In the early days she had looked high and low for them, tried in every way to get in contact with them when the signs showed that this virus was no joke. But after finding their apartment ransacked and bloodstained she knew that they couldn't have made it. It had been a long time since she had been to their small flat when it all began, she had moved away to the city to escape her father's overbearing clutches and her mother's disapproving stares. She had finally had enough of them trying to catch her out and send her somewhere she could never escape from. All it would have took was one word from her psychiatrist father and she could have been whisked away to some home, never to see her friends again. They were going to follow her there the next summer, packing up their lives so they could all live together in the city. That was before people started chowing down on their loved ones and feeding on their children's flesh. She knew that if they were still alive a year ago there was no way they would still be now. The world had become even more dangerous, the walking dead wasn't the only looming threat. Now people were just as bad, psychos brandishing weapons and killing the innocent for the sales of some supplies. And sometimes just for they could. Her friends could never had adapted to this world, not like she had. In a way she was glad that they hadn't, to end up like her wasn't a blessing. The amount of people she had saw die, the amount of times she had a hand in that death. She was glad, glad that they would always be on that hill that so quickly become their sanctuary, smoking and joking away, like nothing in the world could ever go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors note
> 
> Sorry about most of the chapter being a flashback but atleast we now know a bit about Eve pre-turn! Hope you guys like this chapter, I found it really fun to write and hopefully you enjoyed it :) thanks for the comments and kudos, I'm so overwhelmed! Please leave a comment to let me know what you think and where I can improve-Laura


	7. I think we hit the jackpot

Chapter seven

In the weeks after their conversation Daryl saw Eve become more involved in the group and it had seemed that Rick had began to trust her more and more each day. He could see why. She was always up for going on runs, always asking how she could do more to help the community. This irked Daryl for some reason. He didn't like the idea of her going outside the walls of Alexandria and he was glad that no matter how many times she asked, Rick had always turned her down. He stationed her at the gates more than anything, and a few times on watch. But Daryl felt that some day Rick would trust her enough to let her go.

Nothing had happened yet. Well, nothing that would convince Daryl completely that she couldn't be trusted with his family. He wished there was. He wished so much that she would do something to slip up and get herself thrown out of the gates for good. The man hated how much she had been getting under his skin lately, with her soft voice singing that damn song still ringing in his ears days after he heard it. Her fiery red hair being burned into his retinas. Her constant twitching and muttering to herself that he couldn't for the life of him wrap his head around.

The enigma that was Eve was rooting itself so deeply in his brain that it was becoming unbarable. He found himself thinking about her so often that he was becoming obsessed, his mistrust growing every day. Daryl often wondered if he hated her, and where as he felt that his feelings weren't far off of hate, every time he saw her he felt like it was something else. So mistrust is what he settled on, complete and unwavering mistrust.

"Any reason you've been holding that burnt out cigarette for five minutes?" He heard a voice sound behind him

He looked down at his fingers, his brain finally registering the burning feeling singeing his skin. He quickly flicked his wrist to the side, scrunching up his face and wincing.

"Are you okay?" He looked up to see Michonne stood there with her hands on her hips, a trait she picked up from the ex sheriff no doubt.

"M'fine" he grunted

"I dunno" she mused, going to lean against the railing next to him "you've been out here staring at nothing for the last 20 minutes"

He remembered why he was out here now, he heard that Eve would be practicing some sparring with Michonne this morning so he decided to come out conveniently for a cigarette to observe a little. Not spy, just observe.

"Just thinking about the next run" he finally said. He wasn't lying, he was thinking about it, just not in the same way as she would have thought. She nodded her head and then looked away from him towards the door of Rick's house.

"Should be pretty soon, Rick said we needed to get it done today"

"He mention who was goin?"

"Unfortunately not me" she chuckled "he wants me to look after Judith with Carl, he's been having it pretty rough lately after losing his eye, Yanno?"

He did know, Carl was doing so well trooping on after almost dying, just like his dad did. Daryl knew he needed a lot of time to adjust after a blow like that, it must have been hard for the kid to have to help raise his sister in a world like this even before what happened. But the kid was strong, stronger than most of the people he had ran into in this shitty world. It wasn't just his dad's protectiveness he had to thank for that, it was himself.

"Yeah, makes sense" he said "shit you can't come with us though"

"I know, don't worry, I'll go on the next one, been needing some practice."

He nodded his head and went to leave, picking up his crossbow from where it was leant against the railing.

"Rick said to meet him by the car in ten, oh and find Eve, he's finally gave into her nagging and let her join"

The words made him stop in her tracks. Of course he had, it was only a matter of time before he let her go on a run with them. At least with him going as well he could keep an eye on her, stop any funny business from happening. He didn't trust Rick to pick up on anything going down, he would be too focused on getting supplies and making sure no one got themselves hurt. No, this would be his little secret mission, to see if she would actually be an asset to them or just another mouth to feed.

He walked off in the direction of the house she had recently moved from Rick's to take up residence in. He didn't blame her, he had taken up the offer to board with Aaron and Eric shortly after Rick and Michonne had started bumping uglies. It wasn't the sleeping on the sofa instead of a real bed that was bothering him, no that wasn't much of a problem for him at all. It was just that he couldn't deal with with the constant sound of the two of them going at it from the room above him. He knew that Carl knew about their relationship, but he was probably asleep by the time the banging would start to rock through the house. And with Daryl being a very rare and light sleeper, he would often find himself lying there, having to listen to the noises. Although he was happy for his friend, it wasn't something he liked hearing when he was trying to get to sleep. It was especially not something he wanted to be hearing when he was woke up in the middle of the night with morning wood either. That was just plain awkward.

He went to knock on her door only to find it slightly ajar. His hand pushed on the wood softly and looked inside the house. It was way too big for just one person but he had come to the conclusion after watching her that she often enjoyed her own company, something he could both relate to and become suspicious of. His feet carried him into the kitchen, where on top of the counter he found all of her numerous knives laid out perfectly on the marble. He had objected to it, but Rick had recently agreed to letting her have her knife collection back, after she expressed her need to practice with them. It was smart, staying on your toes and not going rusty, but it didn't mean he had to like the idea of a stranger roaming around with things that could very well kill him and his family.

He heard the sound of heavy boots stomping down the stairs and he stilled his hand before it went to reach out for one of her knives to inspect it. Her form rounded the corner then, coming out of the doorway, head down whilst securing what looked like a holster. Her gaze lifted up to him and she smiled lazily at him, walking over to the counter on the island to pick up one of her knives. She didn't seem at all bothered by him being in her house, she must have been told by Rick that Daryl would be going on the run with them. The heavy leather of her jacket was hanging off of her slim shoulders, a stark contrast to the ripped jeans that seemed to clinging to her thighs in a way that stirred something foreign within him. He turned his gaze to the floor as he felt heat rise to his cheeks, his hair shielding his almost ashamed face from her. He was supposed to be keeping an eye on her, making sure she didn't do anything suspicious, not raking his eyes up and down her body like some pervert.

He shook his head and looked up to her once more, she was fastening the last of her blades into the holster on her thigh. The other thing he noticed about her appearance was the black smudged heavily around her eyes.

"Why do you do that?" He grunted, pointing at his own eye so she knew what he was talking about. She looked up at him then, her eyes shifting between his face and his finger pointing at it.

"I don't know, I guess it's become a bit of a ritual for me Yanno? Just like cleaning your crossbow probably is for you" she had never seen him do that, she must have guessed by the sparkling appearance it held now compared to the state it was in this morning.

"Whys painting your face anything to do with going on a run?" He pushed, wanting to know why she would take time out of her day to line her eyes with black. She pushed her hair out of her face and over the top of her head. It was then that he saw the black did not stop there. She had painted it atop the tips of her ears, along the back of them and slightly down her neck.

"It's said that the Vikings would do it before a battle. They thought it made them seem more feral, more fearsome to their enemies"

He snorted, squinting his eyes up at her

"Ain't no zombie gunna be scared of eyeliner"

She sighed and looked down at the now bare, knife free table. Her body moved around gracefully as she spun on her heel and made her way towards the door.

"I know, I guess it just makes me feel more like someone to be feared"

He followed her outside in silence, making their way towards the car where Rick and Glenn were already waiting. He guessed he understood what she meant, it did make her look more fearsome. But that didn't stop the idea being stupid to him. People shouldn't be spending their time trying to look scary, they should be training to get better at being a good fighter. Someone who isn't just going to look fearsome but be feared if they unleashed their abilities on another. It was pointless spending time creating some facade when instead they could be backing it up. He knew she was a decent fighter, that or she was just working on dumb luck, he had seen that when she saved Aaron that day they brought her back. But today he would be able to put that to the test, ensure it wasn't a fluke and he would be able to see just how fearsome she was then. He looked over at her and took in her appearance once more. She didn't look like anyone he had ever seen before. Her stature was short, probably only standing at 5 foot 6, and her body on the slim side. She looked like just another one of those stupid punk rock kids his brother used to rile up when he was pissed up at whatever bar they were at that night. All of her fit that same look they all had, same leather jacket, same torn up pants and tattooed arms. All until he looked at her face. The shaved sides of her head standing out without her hat on, the kohl liner stark against her pale skin. Freckles brushed along the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks. But nothing looked as different as her almost piercing green eyes. They looked so cold and collected, surveying every inch of what was infront of her, looking like they could pick up every detail of anything that crossed her path. Nothing like the angry stare of the kids like her from his town, their eyes always showed how willing they were to fight at a moments notice, hers looked so calm it was almost frightening. The black that lined them made the bright colour stand out even more, the colour of pine shining through amongst the inky kohl.

He shook his head, breaking his train of thought as they neared the car. Daryl nodded his head once at his friends and opened the front door, shoving his crossbow onto the floor.

"Let's move"

"Hey guys, I think we hit the jackpot" Glenn's voice announced through the silence. Daryl shifted around Glenn from where he was stood in the doorway and peered inside the supermarket. He was right, they really had hit it big with this one. The rows of shelves looked almost untouched, littered with goods that would keep them going for God knows how long. They would have just followed down the road a little bit more but Rick insisted that they check out the area off the main road. It was a good thing they had, the rest of the day was a bust, going in and out small chains, not finding much of value other than a packet of cigarettes Daryl had picked off the floor and a bottle of water Glenn found stashed behind a counter.

Eve shifted around them, going to walk into the large expanse before Daryl placed his hand on her stomach to stop her. He tried not to think of the warmth radiating from her skin under his hand as he stopped her from moving into the store. He shook his head when she looked up at him confused. A loud sound broke through the silence as he rapped his knuckles against the glass of the door. Gurgling could be heard from behind one of the tills and a maimed walker crawled its way over to them on its belly. Daryl scoffed at it, looking at its mauled on legs in disgust. The guy was so large he probably squeezed himself under the check out desk to escape the dead instead of making a run for it. Poor sorry bastard. He went to step forward, aiming his crossbow at the decomposing man and fired, putting the thing out of its misery for good.

The walkers after that were scarce, almost as if they had been cleared out recently, blood still lining the sticky, tiled floors. The place seemed off, eiry even, the feeling of being watched was wading heavily on Daryl's mind. They piled tins upon tins into their bags, each one almost filled to the brim with the stuff. A little while went by and the group decided to split up to cover more ground. Rick going towards the garden section for more seeds, Daryl towards hunting gear, Glenn went for the baby section to look for things for Judith and the little one he was expecting and Eve insisted she went to look for medication.

His eyes flitted along the shelves, picking up anything that might be of value to anyone. Batteries, flash lights, a couple of boxes of ammo that were strewn out on one of the shelves. He was shoving things he didn't need to the side before something caught his gaze. A little red light was flashing out of the corner of his eye, He looked closer at the light to find it was attached to a video camera. Walking up to the device he reached his hand out towards it, flipping it around so the viewfinder was facing him. Odd, it was on. He went to pull it closer to him to inspect it but found that as he kept trying it wouldn't give. His hands ran over the object and came across a wire, thin as thread, something you would have to be looking for to notice. It was wrapped around the trigger for the ON button and disappeared down the shelf, behind the boxes and gear that was all too perfectly placed there. He put the camera down and followed the thread along, being careful to not move it, running his fingers slowly along its length. It was taught. He found that the wire came up a stop just where he had found the boxes of ammo, connected to one he had moved but neglected to pick up. What the hell?

Suddenly a yell was let out from across the store, over where Rick had disappeared to. Daryl quickly snapped up from what he was doing, mystery left forgotten, and barreled down the aisle towards his friend. The shouting grew more intense as he neared the gardening section but he couldn't work out what was being said. As he rounded the last corner he sped up, knowing that if he slacked now it could be the end of the sheriff. What he laid his eyes on when he got there was not what he was expecting all. Four walker bodies were piled up on the floor, half of all their heads sliced clean off. Eve was stood there, her form looming over their rotten bodies, face and clothed splashed in blood. Her eyes found their way to Daryl's as she lowered her blade, the same maniacal glint shining in them that he saw the first time he met her. She smirked at him slowly, before shaking herself out of it, turning around and helping Rick up off the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heres the next chapter guys! Hope you enjoy this one :) Sorry about the crappy action scene, I will try to do better with them in the future. Enjoy! -Laura

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is my first time posting on here as well as my first time writing a Walking Dead fic. I have posted this on fanfiction.net aswell but thought it would be good to out it on here aswell so that more people had a chance to read it! Hopefully that doesn't show too much in my work, but I hope that at least someone is interested in how this story goes! I know the chapter is a little short at the moment, so will the next one. But I will get better at making them longer in the future, I just need to wrap my head around what a good length for a chapter would be. This will be a Daryl/OC story, and a bit of a slow burn so hang in there! Hopefully you are intrigued by my OC and want to see more of her. I would love it if you took time to review this and tell me what you think about it, and if I should keep it going :) -Laura


End file.
